Congressional aides to test M-4 alternatives

The politicized selection and procurement process for military weapons is well known, from high-tech aircraft, to lowly infantry small arms. With the Colt M-4 contract up for re-bid next summer, some in Congress are calling on the Army to seriously consider alternatives:

In a move that could ruffle the feathers of an Army command that views the Colt Defense-built M4 as the best carbine in the world, a select group of top senate staffers is gathering today to look at what could be the future of the military's standard assault rifle.

About 30 legislative aides have signed up to attend a July 11 demonstration at Marine Corps Base Quantico, just outside Washington, D.C., that will feature weapons from various manufacturers vying to end the reign of the M16 and M4 as the U.S. military's most fielded personal weapon.

The range day is intended to help familiarize key lawmakers with possible alternatives to the M16 and M4 once the exclusive contract with Colt Defense of West Hartford, Conn., ends in the summer of 2009, a senior senate aide told Military.com.
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While the aide declined to list all the companies participating in the demo, congressional and industry sources say the shoot will feature the standard 5.56mm M4 carbine, the FNH USA-build Mk-17 -- which fires a 7.62mm round -- and a modified "M4-style" rifle that fires a new 6.8mm special purpose cartridge round, among others.
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The point of the July 11 test shoot is to allow manufacturers to showcase their M4 alternatives before an audience that's becoming more influential on small arms procurement decisions. The senate group tried to hold a similar demo last year, but the Army abruptly pulled out when news reports of the event leaked out, senate sources said.

Read the article here. Expect the process to get more politicized as the re-bid deadline approaches, and for the Army bureaucracy to continue to favor Colt. Obviously, the logistics supply chain is currently all set up for the Colt M-4 and the 5.56mm NATO round, so that's definitely a big factor in arms selection. Call it the inertia factor -- less work for the supply jockeys. In the event another weapon and/or caliber is selected, the military would have to maintain duplicate supply chains -- ammo, parts, training, maintenance, etc. -- for many years (perhaps a decade or more), as the older M-4 and 5.56mm round was phased out.